Autism was first named in 1911, and then redefined to fit the symptoms of patients in the mid-1960s to 1970s. Today, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been more commonly described as a neurodevelopmental disease with common symptoms that include repetitive behaviors and restricted interests. Progress in understanding ASD has brought scientists closer to finding factors that may affect the onset of ASD in children or the cause of autism. These factors can include either genetic or environmental factors. One genetic factor is gender and environmental factors include drugs and smoking during pregnancy. These factors can be combined to create a quantitative diagnostic test or a more accurate diagnostic test to diagnose autism earlier in childhood. Currently, autism doesn’t have many quantitative diagnostic tests. Some diagnostic tests are available; however, these tests have limitations which can lead to incorrect diagnosis. The lack of both diagnosis and proper treatment, can lead to ethical concerns, as parents may abandon their child due to a misdiagnosis or cost of treatment. This review hopes to elucidate the current genetic and environmental associations with ASD to provide alternative ways for quantitative diagnosis in the future as advances
in science are made.

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